Delicata-licious

Lots more fall goodness in the share this week as we finally get into our late season carrot crop, and

also bring in some classic fall veggies from local farms. This week we have more potatoes from our

sister farm in Beverly, Moraine Farm, and from Langwater Farm in North Easton, we have butternut squash and delicata squash. Delicata, an often unheralded winter squash variety that's overshadowed by the classic butternut, is one of my favorite varieties, both for its excellent sweetness and its ease of preparation. It's delicious all by itself--I hope you all like it as much as I do.

Weir River Farm's first beef sale of the season is this week! Wednesday, Oct. 8th, we'll be open at the Yellow House from 1-6pm. Our pasture-raised Belted Galloway cattle produce beef that is very high in flavor and low in fat and are free of any growth hormones, steroids, or antibiotics. We'll be offering almost a dozen steak cut choices, several roast choices, as well as ground beef, short ribs, and bones for stock. The best cuts go fast, so make sure to get here early! Call us the farm office at 781.740.7233 if you have more questions--see you at the beef sale!

In your share this week: yellow storage onions, beets, carrots, kale, chard, salad mix, potatoes and winter squash--butternut and sweet delicata. We'll take a break on Pick Your Own crops for the first time in a long time, but don't worry--there's more coming before we finish up this season!

Recipe of the Week

Roasted Delicata

2 Delicata squash
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F.
Delicata don't need peeling like other winter squash varieties, so just rinse them off and trim off the button end and the stem. Cut the squash in half the long way so you have 2 boats, then scrape the seeds and gunk out. If you like, you can save the seeds and roast them as you would pumpkin seeds. Cut the squash into a 1/2" to 3/4" dice. Toss with the olive oil and salt to taste.
Spread the squash evenly into a single layer on a metal baking pan or cookie sheet. A metal pan is best to get the most caramelization. Roast, turning at 10 and 20 minutes, for 25-30 minutes. When the pieces are fork tender, they're done. Serve hot.

Some of my favorite variations: After tossing with olive oil, you can spice them with cumin (1-2 tsp) or with cayenne (1 tsp or to taste). You can also include delicata in a roasted root veggie medley with carrots, beets, onions, garlic, parsnips, celeriac, or rutabaga.